French Press

STEP ONE

Grind 56 grams (about 8 Tablespoons) for the 8-cup French press. The ground coffee should be about as coarse as breadcrumbs. Preheat the glass and plunger by pouring hot water inside the pitcher and plunge once to warm everything up. Discard the rinse water.

STEP TWO

Add coffee.

BARISTA TIP: Make sure you start with a clean French press. Old coffee grounds stuck in the wire plunger will not serve you well!

STEP THREE

Next, pour hot water (30 seconds off the boil or about 205 degrees F) into the French press, saturating all of your grounds, and pouring to the halfway mark. Start your timer for 4 minutes.

STEP FOUR

After 1 minute, stir the “bloom” (or top layer) and pour the rest of the water evenly to the top and affix the press pot lid.

STEP FIVE

After the 4 minute timer goes off, plunge and serve.

BARISTA TIP: Be sure you pour your coffee into serving cups or a carafe right away because if you leave the coffee sitting on top of the grounds, it will keep extracting and get stronger and sludgier by the time you are ready for your second cup.

STEP SIX

Drink the coffee.

SHOP BREW GEAR

French Press

Introduction:

Using a French Press (aka Press Pot) is an easy way to get truly excellent coffee at home. The keys to getting good results are: using high quality, fresh beans; grinding the coffee correctly; using clean equipment and filtered water; timing the process.

You’ll need a French Press, coffee, a grinder, a spoon, a timer and cups (and thermal carafe if preparing more than fits in the cups).